


I Caught Fire.

by xCaraChimerax



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-12 14:58:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19134397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xCaraChimerax/pseuds/xCaraChimerax
Summary: The story of childhood best friends, Liam and Mason, and also Mason's asshole older brother Theo. The ups, the downs, the fights and the crushes, but mostly this is the story of how someone fell in love with the last person they ever thought they would.I suck at summaries...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is kind of all over, but I promise it's going somewhere. Just needed to get a little backstory in there first. There's probably a million mistakes, but hopefully you can look passed them. Thank you for reading!!! 
> 
> Also. I think I'm supposed to put a warning in here for minor violence,and some homophobia.

Liam has lived at 9 Moonwood Hollow Rd since the day he came home from the hospital. He had taken his first steps in that house, lost his first tooth there, learned his ABC’s and 1,2,3’s, how to write his name, and learned to ride his bike in that driveway. His house wasn’t the biggest on the street or the fanciest but it was the homiest. Walking into Liam’s house you instantly felt at home, his mother was always in the kitchen baking something delicious and his dad, if he wasn’t working was always up for a game of catch. Liam loved his life, but sometimes he’d find himself sitting out in his tree house, playing with his toys, and just staring out the little window, or he’d put his little floaties on and cannonball into the pool and look around only to find nobody else laughing. Sometimes he felt like something was missing, he just wasn’t sure what.

Liam got the answer to that question three days after his seventh birthday. Liam’s Great-Aunt Sheila gave him $15 in a card and at least a kajillion hugs but he was trying to forget those. She always smelled a bit weird and her teeth reminded him of something he seen in a scary movie once so he tried to stay away from her. After he had opened his card, he smiled politely like he was taught and said thank you and prayed that that would be enough, but no she had walked right up and grabbed him before he could run, and wouldn’t you know his mom just laughed the whole time. Liam rode with his mom to the grocery store a few days later, and bought two types of candy, some Pokémon cards and a slingshot with his money, his mom already took the slingshot though. Shoot one old lady in the buttcheek and suddenly the slingshot was a terrible idea and “Oh, Liam what were you thinking?” Liam sits in silence with his arms crossed, not even the gummy worms making his mood better; that is until he sees something two houses down from his. 

There at 13 Moonwood Hollow Rd is a big U-haul truck with boxes scattered along the lawn and porch, and people walking in and out of the house. What really catches his eye though is the shiny red bike leaned up against the garage. That’s the same bike he has! “Mom! Look!” He shouts,”That’s just like my bike!”  
His mom doesn’t seem nearly as excited but she smiles down at her son, “It is, bud. Maybe there’s someone your age you can play with.” Liam thinks about that for a second, and yeah he has a few friends but not many, and how cool would it be to live almost next door to your friend? With that, he bolts over to the new neighbors as soon as her car in park. 

“Hi, I’m Liam. You got any kids?” The lady with a big box in her hands seems surprised by his question but laughs and tells him yes she does, hang on one second and she’ll get them. Them? There’s more than one? Liam’s day is getting so much better. He takes a seat on the bottom step of the porch, and waits for what seems like an hour but is probably only 3 minutes, until a boy about his age walks out of the house; a Nintendo ds gripped in his hands. The nice lady from before rushes over, “Mason,” she ushers him over to where Liam has stood up”Honey, this is Liam. He lives down the street.” Liam sticks his hand out like he’s seen people do when they first meet and waits for Mason to shake it but the other boy just laughs and slaps his hand. Liam already likes him. 

It’s almost sundown when his mom yells from his front porch,”Li, it’s time for dinner!” He doesn’t want to go home, even if he is really hungry. Mason is so cool, he wants to stay here all the time. The other boy has so many comic books and lots of video games and he knows how to put cards in his bike tires to make it sound like a motorcycle! He even told Liam that he would help him do his bike too. He’s right in the middle of telling Mason that yes he will absolutely be back tomorrow when another boy walks out into the front yard, Liam had completely forgotten that Mason’s mom had mentioned that there was more than one kid. Liam looks at Mason, then back at the other boy. “Oh, that’s my brother Theo,”Mason tells him, “ He’s too cool to play with little kids.” Masons got his fingers in the air bending and unbending them and Liam’s not sure what it means but if the way Mason was trying to imitate the other boy and the weird face he was making was anything to go by it wasn’t good. “ He's only two years older than us, and we’re not babies! Mason yells the last part, making the other boy turn around and put up his middle finger before Mason’s mom is yelling at him where she saw him through the window. Liam watches Mason’s brother for a minute before telling Mason, “He doesn’t look that cool.” Liam runs up his walkway, turning to look back at his new friend once he reaches his porch, but Mason is no longer outside. He’s about to head inside when he sees Theo walking in the direction of his house, then the older boy drops the skateboard he was carrying onto the road before hopping on and pushing off gliding past Liam’s house, never once looking up. Okay, maybe he was a little cool, but he wasn’t going to tell Mason that. 

 

It’s the second day of the summer vacation before eighth grade and Liam’s sat in a hospital bed.Great. “But Mom, it’s not fair,” he whines, “it wasn’t my fault!”  
Jenna gestures wildly to the bright green cast now on Liam’s leg.” Liam,” she says exasperation evident in her voice. “ I am not paying to fix or replace your bike,” bringing a hand up to her temple, massaging in slow circles and looks between the two sources of her stress,” Liam, you brought your bike to the top of the playground and attempted to ride down a TWISTY slide. How is that not your fault?” “ But mom,” Liam starts again, looking to his friend for some help but Mason pretends he doesn’t see him and bows his head, suddenly interested in the tiles on the floor. “ We thought it’d be cool and Mase just got a new camera so he was going to videotape it and then the handlebar hit the side of the sl-” Jenna holds her hand up, effectively cutting Liam off. “ I need coffee, I can’t handle you two right now,” she mumbles as she walks out of the room, leaving the two boys alone. “Dude, that was so sick!” Mason laughs, earning a huge grin from Liam, looking around to make sure nobody is in earshot, he agrees” I know, man. Good thing we got it on tape!”

It’s been six years since Mason had become his partner in crime, his best friend, his brother. Since the first day Liam had bounded up to his house asking Mrs. Hewitt if she had any kids, the boys had been inseparable, so much so, in fact, they basically lived together. Whether it’s Liam sprawled out on the pull out bed in Mason’s room, or Mason sleeping on Liam’s bean bag chair in his room. Their mother’s had tried to keep it a weekend only thing but to no avail before they eventually gave up and gave in. Yeah, the boys have had their little arguments; always something small. They’d meet up in the treehouse out back and be back to chasing each other down the block in no time. Jenna and Camille were both very pleased with the fact that the boys had such a good friendship, and even Theo seemed happy to have Liam around.

When the boys were younger Theo was great, it took a little bit for him to warm up to Mason’s new friend but when he did, the three of them were basically best friends. They’d hang out, watch movies and play video games, Theo always won at everything of course. He even tried to teach Liam and Mason how to skateboard, Mason hating it immediately, and even though he fell down almost constantly when they first started Liam loved it. Theo would tell him ‘it’s okay’ and always help him back up, he’d let Liam hold onto his shoulders when he was losing balance, and he’d smile like he was proud when Liam could finally go down the ramp without falling. Despite many cuts and bruises, Liam actually learned pretty fast, and within a few weeks, he was riding his skateboard to and from the park down the road, with Mason walking beside him. That was about the time that Liam realized just how pretty Theo’s smile was. At first, he thought, no way, Theo’s a boy; I definitely don’t think he’s pretty and stamped those feelings right down, vowing never to think that again, and it worked. At least he thought it did. 

That was two years ago, and a lot has changed since then. Liam has since admitted that he was interested in boys, as well as girls and Mason had given him a watery smile and told him that he also was into boys. The two friends sat in the treehouse that day for hours, discussing all the cute boys in their grade, and all the hot older boys. Never once did Liam mention his(not so) momentary crush on Mason’s older brother. Besides, even if he was cute, Theo was an asshole now. Shortly after Liam had his revelation about Theo things changed, Theo tried out for the football team and killed it. Theo had been welcomed to the team with open arms, becoming a quick favorite among the other guys. That’s when Theo started acting differently, he was now “too cool” as Mason had said all those years ago. He no longer wanted to be seen with the younger boys, and if he did see them while he was with his teammates he was sure to throw out an insult or two. In school, it was always “Move over twerp,” in the hallway or he’d resort to calling Liam the dreaded nickname one of the other footballers had given him; Fluffy. Ugh, Liam hated that name so much. He wasn’t fat, he wasn’t. So what if Mason had thinned out into a beanstalk, Theo had gained a little muscle and Liam hadn’t lost his little kid weight yet. He’s bound to have a growth spurt soon, his mom even says. 

Liam gets it, he wants to be cool to his friends, and hanging out with 7th graders when you’re in 9th isn’t cool. Liam’s tough though, he never lets the minor insults bother him too much; yeah, he’s a little self-conscious about his weight now that the boys had brought it up, and he’s started wearing t-shirts when he goes swimming at Mason’s house but other than that he shrugs it off. That is until he can’t anymore, he can deal with stupid names, and he’s fine that Theo pretends not to know him when his friends are around. The thing that turns everything around for Liam is the day that one of Theo’s jock buddies decides to take it too far.

School just let out for the day and Liam has packed everything he needs in his bookbag and heads down the back stairs to where he hides his skateboard behind, in back of the school. He’s about to cut back through the hallways and out the front door to meet Mason when he hears someone yell, “ Hey fluffy, hold up.” Liam fully intends to ignore them, much like every other day, and keeps walking. He hears the footsteps coming closer before he feels the hand on his arm stopping him. He doesn’t turn around, doesn’t want to give the other boys the satisfaction of seeing him react to their taunting. “Hey, I’m talking to you,” the tall boy sneers as he yanks at Liam until he’s facing him, out of all the guys on the team, he hates Gabe the most. “ Where are you going fluffy? Hang out with your boyfriend?” He laughs as he looks around, making sure the other guys heard him.” I know you’re one of those nasty queers. I can tell.” Liam’s had enough, go ahead make fun of him for whatever, but don’t be a homophobic asshole, that means insulting not only him but his friends; that means insulting Mason and he’s not going to stand for it. “ Fuck you, asshole.” Liam spits, tugging his arm out of the other boy's grip and turning away. He hears one of the other boys snicker at his friend's expense and hears Gabe tell him promptly to shut the fuck up. Just when Liam thinks it's over and he’s good to go home, Gabe’s grabbing his arm again. He’s ready for the other boy to yell when he whips around but is met with a fist instead. Stumbling back, Liam brings his hand to where the fist had connected with his cheek, there will no doubt be a bruise there. Before he can think too much of it, he’s hit again, then again. Liam’s mouth is filled with blood, and he’s not sure if it’s coming from inside or dripping down from his nose. He’s trying to get up off the floor, but he keeps getting pushed down, getting hit again. He spits blood onto the white tiled floor before trying to stand one more time.Gabe takes this opportunity to connect his right foot with Liam’s ribs knocking him to the floor, clutching his side. Bending down to make sure Liam can hear him, he looks him in his barely opened eyes and throws out one last insult.” Fag,” he spits, and the last thing Liam sees before he loses consciousness is the unreadable look on Theo’s face a few people behind Gabe. 

Liam wakes up in the hospital a few hours later, Dr. Geyer sitting at the edge of his bed.” Hey, dad,” he wheezes out, realizing how painful it is to try to talk. There’s a sad look on his dad’s face when he tells Liam how Theo had called him from the school and told him he’d found Liam in the hallway at school, unconscious and bleeding. He tells him how worried Theo and Mason had looked when he had shown up to take Liam to the hospital himself, leaving work as soon as he’d gotten the call. He hugs his son tight and tells him how sorry he is that this happened, and holds Liam as he sobs into his chest. Apparently Theo had told Dr. Geyer that he had found Liam like that, that he didn’t know what happened and didn’t know who did it. Mason had been crying when his father had shown up, his best friend worried sick. Liam thinks about telling him that Theo is lying, that he was there and watched it happen, and he didn’t do a damn thing to stop it, but then he would have to admit to his dad why it had happened. Was he ready to admit to his father that he was beaten so badly over his sexuality? Did he want to put that fear into Mason’s mind too? No, absolutely not. Theo may have stood by while his friend beat Liam but he knows for a fact, Theo would never let anyone hurt his brother, but Mason shouldn’t have to worry about it regardless. Dr. Geyer tells Liam he has a few other patients he has to tend to and that he’ll check in soon before exiting the room. Mason rushes in as soon as his dad is gone, throwing himself onto the bed and hugging Liam tightly, making the bruised boy let out a pained groan. “ Sorry, sorry.” Mason breathes into his neck, where his wet face is pressed tightly,as he loosens his grip around Liam’s waist. Liam lifts his arm to pat Mason on the back,”Mase, it’s okay, I’m fine,” he says,looking right at Theo, causing the boy to bow his head. 

“No!,” Mason says, maybe a little too loudly. “It’s not.You’re not! Theo told me what happened, Liam. Why didn’t you just walk away? Why would you yell at Gabe? You know how he is!” Mason blurts out, breathing hard. When he pulls his head back to look at Liam, Liam can see how red his eyes are, and the tear tracks down his cheeks. “ Mase, he called me a queer. A nasty queer,” he tells his best friend, “ That means he called you a queer, he called Corey a queer.He called us nasty, like we’re not good enough because of who we like.” He’s crying now too, doesn’t know exactly when he started. “ I don’t care what he says to me, but I couldn’t have him say that about you Mase, you’re my brother.” This causes Mason to break down all over again, loud sobs racking through the skinny dark-skinned boy as he buries his face in Liam’s neck again, careful not to hold him too hard. When Liam looks back up, Theo’s eyes are on him once again. “ I’m sorry,” he mouths, it’s almost enough to make Liam laugh. Sorry? He’s sorry? Ha! He had sat back and let his friend insult him, and along with him, his brother. He had stood there and watched as Gabe used Liam’s body as a punching bag. He watched Liam struggle to breath as he spit blood all over the floor, and he had watched Gabe get right down in his face and call him a ‘fag’. He had stood there and done nothing, he hadn’t tried to stop it, hadn’t tried to help, nothing. How is he going to stand here now, watching his brother break down in Liam’s arms and have the audacity to tell Liam he’s ‘sorry’. Liam looks straight back into his eyes, makes sure he knows just how serious Liam is and mouths back,” Fuck you”.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is basically chapter 1 in Theo's POV. You get to see what was going on his mind and why he did what he did. The next chapter is where things start happening. Thanks for sticking it out with me.

“Fuck you.” That was the last thing Liam said to Theo. Hell, he didn’t even say it, he mouthed it; across the hospital room on the day that Theo still to this day regrets. It’s been 4 years since Liam has so much as uttered a ‘hello’ to him. The boy who used to basically live at his house stopped coming around after that, at least while Theo was home. He stopped seeing Liam at school too, after the fight Liam had switched schools, leaving Theo no chance to apologize. Theo had tried to go see Liam at his house, but whoever answered the door always gave him a sad smile and told him that Liam didn’t want to talk right now. It went on for two years like that, the other boy avoiding him like the plague, it was as if Liam had disappeared, and he would’ve been worried he had if not for Mason’s lack of presence, always being with the younger boy. The day that Theo left state for college, he was sure that Liam would at least come to say goodbye to him, he knows what happened was so wrong, but surely Theo leaving was a good enough reason to at least say bye, right? Wrong. Theo said goodbye to his family, even Liam’s parents had come out to tell him good luck, but Liam himself had not come out. As the cab pulled away from the curb, carrying Theo and his things away, Theo spared one last glance at the window on the second story of the Dunbar/Geyer house and the face staring back at him gave him hope. 

 

See, Theo wouldn’t say that he and Liam were best friends, they weren’t. Liam was his little brother’s best friend and that made him a big part of Theo’s life, so of course, they were close. They’d gotten along, like friends do, playing video games, picking on each other, normal teenage boy stuff. Theo had even taught Liam how to skateboard. Seeing the blinding smile on the younger boys face as he finally went down the ramp had Theo all kinds of confused. Why was his heart beating faster, and why did it feel like there were butterflies flapping away in his stomach? Theo stayed up that night, going over everything in his head, trying to come to terms with the fact that he thought his little brother’s best friend was adorable. Theo went to school the next day, mind still reeling, and went on with his day like any other. He hung out with his friends, messed around in class, and even got sent to the principal’s office; typical day for Theo. He was at lunch when he first heard it, the things that turned everything upside down. “Look at that fag over there,” Donovan, an older boy had said, pointing to another kid in his grade, Stiles. “Watch how he follows his other little gay buddy around.” He watched as Donovan stood up and walked over to the other two boys, before pouring his blue Gatorade right over the boy’s head. “Homo,” he spat, before returning to his table and continuing with his meal, the two boys, now drenched in Gatorade getting up and hurrying out. Any thoughts Theo had had the previous night were pushed down deep. He didn’t want to have to go through that. 

When Theo had joined the football team he was ecstatic, Theo loved football and couldn’t wait to be a part of a team, to have that connection with his friends. If Liam and Mason happened to sit on the bleachers after school and watch the football practice, well that doesn’t mean anything. Theo had loved looking up to see the blue-eyed boy staring right back at him, a big smile on his face. It made Theo work harder, try to be better, he didn’t want to mess up in front of Liam, even though he’d never admit to that. So, when Liam had climbed down the bleachers one day on his way to leave, and Gabe had yelled something rude to him Theo chose to ignore it. Thinking it would be a one-time thing and he could just let it go, Theo didn’t say anything. He had looked away and walked into the locker room, avoided the hurt expression on Liam’s face. He didn’t want to give away his secret by coming to Liam’s defense, so it kept happening. Gabe would throw rude remarks at the other boy, and Theo would say nothing. One day, while the team was in the locker room Gabe had asked Theo what his issue was with the little chubby boy, and Theo had gotten angry, he told Gabe to shut up and stop talking about Liam, but Gabe took that for what it was and taunted Theo. “What, T? You gay now?” “Me? No fucking way, man,” Theo told him, “He’s my brother’s friend and I don’t want Mason being pissed with me.” Gabe didn’t care though, he just laughed at Theo and told him to grow a pair. 

So, Theo did what he thought would be a good idea at the time, he shut up. It worked for a little while, Gabe didn’t say anything, and Theo even started picking on other kids with him. He’s not proud of any of it now, but at the time it didn’t matter. Eventually, Theo started throwing digs at Liam too, doesn’t even know why he started, just knows that every time he saw the hurt flash through Liam’s eyes, he could feel it in him too. Looking back, Theo would like to say that it was because he was scared of his own feelings, and was trying to mask them. Maybe even trying to make the other boy dislike him, give him a reason to move on. Maybe he was just a punk teenager, trying to impress his friends, maybe it was both. All he knows now is how much of a mistake all it was. 

Theo will never forget the day that Liam had stopped talking to him, he had a light blue shirt on and it made his eyes look like the ocean. He had seen him that morning, sitting at his table for breakfast, and couldn’t help watch the way his face lit up as he talked to Mason. It had put Theo in a good mood for the whole day, well at least until school was over. He and the other guys from the team were headed to the locker room for practice when Gabe spotted Liam coming in the back door, to head through the school with his skateboard like he did every day. Theo was hoping Gabe would just ignore him, and keep walking. Gabe did the exact opposite, “Hey fluffy, hold up,” he yelled. Liam had looked back at him and started walking toward the entrance a little faster. Good, Theo had thought, keep going. And, he did, he kept walking, but Gabe jogged after him and grabbed his arm. Theo could feel his heart start racing, Gabe taunts people but it’s never turned physical, should he stop it? Liam stays facing away from him, only turning when Gabe yanks at his arm. “ Where are you going fluffy? Hang out with your boyfriend?” He laughs as he looks around to make sure everyone’s eyes are on him, always the showoff, that one. “I know you’re one of those nasty queers, I can tell.” Theo’s heart jumps into his throat, wha-what did he just say? How can he tell? Wait, Liam’s not gay, he would’ve told Theo right? Theo doesn’t have long to think about it when Liam’s spitting back,” Fuck you, asshole,” and turning away once again. The boy right beside Gabe, Josh laughs at Liam’s response and quickly gets told to shut the fuck up. That’s all it takes for Gabe to grab ahold of Liam’s arm and rip him around to face him once again. Theo’s expecting him to yell at him, call him names again when Gabe rears back and punches Liam in the side of the face. Gabe keeps hitting him, punch after punch. There’s blood dripping from Liam’s face onto the white tiles of the floor, and Theo’s not sure where it’s coming from, only knows that it shouldn’t be there. He tries to move, to stop Gabe, to help Liam, anything; but he’s frozen. Theo’s heart is pounding and when he looks back at Liam, he’s on the floor trying to get up, before Gabe’s boot collides with his side. The cry that Liam lets out still haunts him sometimes, he can still hear it in his sleep. Theo watches, stuck to his spot as Gabe leans down and spits venomously into Liam’s face one more time, “ fag”, before turning and walking away, as if nothing had happened. 

Theo rushes to Liam’s side, fumbling to take his cell phone out of his pocket with shaking hands. He lifts Liam’s head so he can lay it on his lap, “Li,are you okay? Shit, shit. C’mon Li, open your eyes.” Theo’s practically begging this poor unconscious boy on his lap, he hurries and calls Mason, who is no doubt waiting at the front doors. Within seconds Mason is rushing down the hallway, a terrified expression on his face. “Theo, what the hell happened?” He’s yelling now, tears streaming down his cheeks at the sight of his best friend’s bruised and bloodied face. Theo’s words are stuck in his throat, how is he going to tell his little brother that he had sat back and watched someone beat his best friend like that? He doesn’t think that Liam knew he was there, he was more towards the back of the group of onlookers, so he says the first thing that pops into his head,” I don’t know, Mase.” The words taste terrible coming out of his mouth, he can’t believe how disgusting he feels at that moment. “I gotta call Dr. Geyer,” Mason rushes out, shakily trying to dial his number and failing. Theo takes his phone and Mason tells him the number and as Theo dials, he has to swallow down the bile rising in his throat from the site of the blood staining the keypad of Mason’s phone. 

It’s only moments before Dr. Geyer arrives and swiftly carries Liam out to his car and tells the boys to get in the back seat. Theo and Mason sit outside the room that Liam is taken into for hours, neither of them daring to talk; Mason’s throat sore, and eyes raw from crying, and Theo scared of what will come out of his mouth if he were to try and speak. When Liam’s dad had demanded to know what happened Theo had told him the same thing he had told his baby brother, only that he didn’t know what happened or who did it, he had found him like that. It feels just as gross coming out the second time and he prays to god there doesn’t have to be a third. Theo hasn’t prayed in a long time, not since his mom left, he had prayed every day for his mom to come back. It had been his wish when he blew out his candles on his fifth birthday and it had been in his letter to Santa for Christmas. The praying didn’t work, his mom never came back, but Theo’s dad did meet a lovely lady named Camille, and with her, he got a new baby brother. So maybe it worked in an unexpected way. Today though, Theo hasn’t stopped praying since they arrived at the hospital, praying for Liam to be okay, praying that karma will get Gabe, and praying he doesn’t have to spit those nasty lies out again. 

When he follows Mason into Liam’s hospital room after Dr. Geyer leaves, he’s stuck to his spot once again. Liam’s face is marred with purples and red, dried blood staining the corner of his lip, and a few drops coloring the front of his gown. He looks broken, he looks small and it breaks Theo’s heart and he doesn’t know what to do, what to say to this beautiful broken boy. He watches as Mason cries into Liam’s shoulder and he can hear Liam telling Mason that he’s fine, causing Theo to bow his head. How is this boy so strong? He just had the shit kicked out of him and here he is being strong for his best friend, showing him how important he is to him. Theo is just about to back out of the room when he looks up and finds blue eyes staring right back at him. Not knowing what else to do he whispers a quiet “ Sorry,” he’s not sure Liam even heard the barely audible word, but he does. Theo doesn’t know what he was expecting, but “ Fuck you,” was not it. 

He’s tried so many times to tell Liam how sorry he is, how stupid he was. He’s tried to tell him that the day after the fight happened he had walked into the locker room after school and punched Gabe right in the mouth, knocking two teeth out. He wanted to tell him that he yelled, that he screamed, that he was gay right there in the locker room, right there in front of all of his teammates and right there in front of the bleeding boy on the floor who had hurt the one person who didn’t deserve it. He wanted to explain to Liam why he didn’t help, how he was so scared of his own feelings he couldn’t think straight, how those feelings had all started with him. He wanted to tell him how his eyes reminded him of the sunny days they used to spend at the beach, watching the waves crash against the shore. He wanted Liam to know that the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled made Theo’s heart beat so fast sometimes he was scared it would beat right of his chest. He wanted to tell Liam that at 17 years old he had realized that he may love his kid brother’s best friend just a little bit. 

As Theo walks into his back yard, having come home for the summer from college, and sees his brother lounging with his best friend, Theo’s pretty sure his heart stops. Sitting atop a pool float is a guy who in some ways resembles the blue-eyed boy he used to know, but in others, is a completely different person. This person has bronzed skin as if he sits in the direct sunlight of the gods, his hair is wet and messy, hanging into his face, but Theo can still see those ocean eyes peeking through, and he can still see the crinkles near those eyes when he laughs at something Mason is saying. Theo thinks that Liam has always been beautiful but this is just downright unfair, how is he supposed to refrain from talking to him when he already wants to so badly, but now he looks like this? Theo hadn’t got to see how he had changed through the years, hadn’t been allowed that privilege and it makes Theo sad thinking about all he’s gone through that Theo doesn’t know about since the last time they spoke. He’s brought out of his thoughts when he hears splashing and he looks up to find that Liam is no longer in the float, and is startled once again when he turns to look towards the steps of the pool and Liam pops up in front of his face. The boy in front of him lifts his hand to move his hair from his face and peers up at Theo through his eyelashes. “ Hey, T.”


End file.
